Saturday, October 23, 2010

My husband is the baker of the family (until this morning when I created these beautiful muffins!). For years he added eggs to everything he baked, even recipes that didn't call for them. He loved to see his baked goods rise and was convinced that the eggs were the key ingredient.

But after learning some tricks of vegan baking, we figured out that many of our favorite recipes can be made by using other techniques. In this recipe, the use of 1 tablespoon of baking powder does the trick.

5 Reasons For Omitting Eggs

1. They are expensive

Eggs can cost from 20 to 40 cents per egg depending on their size and how they are grown (organic, free range, etc.). Why pay that extra money when you don't need to?

2. Eggs are a possible health risk

Eggs are a source of Salmonella contamination. I'm sure you remember last summers recall of millions of salmonella infected eggs. Although not from eggs, my grandson had a life threatening case of salmonella and believe me, it's definitely something you don't want to experience.

3. Think of the poor chickens

A typical battery cage used to house egg-laying hens is the size of a sheet of paper. They are stacked in tiers and chickens never see the light of day. Jonathan Safran Foer, author of "Eating Animals" compares it to being stuck in a crowded elevator your entire life. Even "cage free" or "free range" could mean that the chickens are packed together and debeaked. He says, "I could keep a flock of hens under my sink and call them free-range".

4. Egg allergies

Egg allergies is one of the most common childhood allergies. But it doesn't always end at childhood. I was diagnosed with egg allergies as an adult. Eating factory farmed eggs made me dizzy, nauseated and gave me a headache. Organic eggs from my friends happy and well cared for pet chickens did not have this effect on me. This is something I cannot explain.

5. The environment

The egg industry generates tons of chicken waste that contains nitrates and other pollutants that can get into our water supply. Roxarsone, an arsenic feed additive, is routinely given to chickens to fight parasites and increase their growth, Like nitrates, arsenic can ultimately finds its way into drinking water. The enormous demand for cheap eggs has led to huge factory farms that are posing these serious environmental risks.

So I offer you this egg free muffin recipe. I encourage all of you, vegan or not, to give it a try!

***

Blueberry Orange Muffins with Flaxseeds

[makes 12 muffins]

2 cups white whole wheat flour (or half whole wheat and half white)

2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

8 packets stevia (optional)

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ cup organic cane sugar or Sucanat

zest from 1 orange (1 teaspoon)

¼ cup fresh orange juice

½ cup unsweetened, non-GMO soy milk

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ cups frozen blueberries, unthawed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, flaxseeds, stevia, baking powder and salt.

Fill each muffin cup three quarters full with batter and bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center and golden brown (about 18 to 22 minutes). Remove from oven, cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, remove from pan and serve warm.